Michael Porter Jr. is pulling back the curtain on one of the more awkward realities of dating as an NBA player.
Speaking candidly, the Brooklyn Nets forward explained that he once passed on pursuing a woman he liked because she had previously been involved with another player in the league. In Porter’s mind, the potential trash talk and drama that could follow, especially if they faced each other on the court, just wasn’t worth the risk.
“If she’s ever been with somebody that I know I’m cool with, I’m not about to ever wife you,” said Porter Jr. on the ‘One Night with Steiny’ podcast. “Just because I’m not trying to be on the court and I give you a bucket or something and you’re talking about ‘that’s why I hit your girl.’”
NBA athletes are pretty tight-knit, and their circle of friends/lovers often overlaps. While most players take no issue about getting together with another player’s partner, Porter Jr. says that it can lead to some awkward encounters on the court that he wants to avoid.
“There was this one girl I really liked one time, but she used to talk to a dude that was in the league, and I’m just like ‘I can’t do it’ because if I’m cooking him, then he’s just allowed to say ‘that’s why I got your girl,” MPJ added.
Michael Porter Jr. has been honest about his struggles, and he’s freely admitted that women/dating are his biggest vice. Though he’s single (for now), Porter Jr. says he only entertains women with no previous NBA ties, a personal boundary he doesn’t intend to break.
On the court, players will usually go to any means necessary to distract and harass their opponents. If traditional trash talk doesn’t work, Porter Jr. says they’ll resort to making personal insults and claims about girls they have a history with.
It’s a brutal reality of NBA life that fans don’t often see or hear about. For a community that is so exclusive, knowing the same people can be just as detrimental as it can be advantageous. Not only can it become a major distraction for players, but it can ruin relationships and friendships that were years in the making.
For Porter Jr., his desire to avoid personalized insults on the court drove him to set rules for his dating life, rules that may have cost him a chance at being with someone he really liked.
In the end, Porter Jr.’s stance is less about jealousy and more about protecting his peace, both on and off the court. In a league where mental strength is often the invisible difference between winning and losing, minimizing distractions is part of the game plan. Trash talk is inevitable in the NBA, but when it turns personal, especially involving women, it can rattle even the most focused athletes. MPJ knows that vulnerability, and he’s made the conscious choice to keep his dating life away from potential battlegrounds.
To some, it may sound overly cautious or even paranoid, but in the ultra-competitive world of professional basketball, every decision is strategic. Porter isn’t trying to play defense in his personal life; he’s simply trying to avoid giving opponents an easy bucket. For him, it’s not about controlling others, but about setting boundaries that keep his head and heart in the right place. Because when the stakes are high and the spotlight is relentless, preserving your peace might just be the most underrated form of self-care in the league.
